Joy from pain
2 women impacted by gun violence work to bring comfort to others at Thanksgiving and throughout the year
Turning tragedy into something positive for the community — that’s what two Richmond area women are striving to do even as they grieve losses from gun violence.
Remains found in VCU well returned to Richmond after Smithsonian study
The bones of 53 African-Americans are back in Richmond after a 25-year sojourn at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
Vernon J. Harris Medical and Dental Center to reopen
A mainstay of health care in Richmond’s East End is reopening after being sidelined for a year of renovation.
Mayor Stoney lauds record pothole repair
A record 31,000 potholes have been repaired this year, City Hall announced Tuesday.
'Hope' returnes to Henrico's Hope Village housing complex
A $5 million facelift of Hope Village, a 100-unit affordable housing complex in Henrico County, is now complete.
Complaint to national challenges Va. NAACP election
The Virginia State Conference NAACP is facing more turmoil following a tumultuous convention at which Robert N. Barnette Jr. of Hanover County was elected the new state president.
VSU board extends president's contract to June 2024
Dr. Makola M. Abdullah, the president of Virginia State University, has received a three-year contract extension.
Dixon to become Crusade for Voters new president
John I. Dixon III, former Petersburg police chief and a retired Richmond Police Department major, will become president of the Richmond Crusade for Voters on Jan. 1.
State Board of Elections acts to protect election data
The three-member state Board of Elections imposed minimum standards on Monday to protect election data from being hacked.
Anderson new City Council chief of staff
Lawrence Rashad Anderson, a former urban research fellow at American University in Washington, is the Richmond City Council’s new chief of staff.
No injunction granted in black-owned health companies' federal lawsuit
A federal judge has refused to block several health insurance companies from firing 33 small, mostly African-American-owned companies that provide mental health and substance abuse counseling services to Medicaid patients.
Pushback
Richmond native files complaint about Navy Hill District Corp. with Internal Revenue Service; City Council vote on project may come as late as March
The battle over the proposed $1.5 billion Navy Hill District Corp. project in Downtown could rage for a few more months.
Richmond delegates expected to have greater clout in upcoming General Assembly
At least four Richmond area delegates to the Virginia General Assembly are poised to gain increased clout when the new Democratic majority takes control of both the House of Delegates and the state Senate when the 2020 legislative session opens in January.
School Board member seeks to protect school funding in costly Coliseum plan
The Richmond School Board could weigh in on the debate over the controversial $1.5 billion Coliseum replacement and Downtown redevelopment plan.
Black-owned health companies claim insurers are forcing them out of business
Small companies that are largely African-American-owned are fighting against an effort that they claim will put them out of business by stopping them from providing mental health and substance abuse services to Medicaid patients.
House Dems elect women to top posts
Fresh from sweeping enough seats in the Nov. 5 election to take the majority in the House of Delegates, Democrats plan to install two women in the top posts for the first time in state history.
City Council bids Agelasto adieu with award and tough new ordinance
City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto got a rousing sendoff from his colleagues after joining them Tuesday night in votes to maintain the real estate tax rate at $1.20 per $100 of assessed value and to approve a public safety measure Mayor Levar M. Stoney spearheaded to fine residents who fail to report a lost or stolen gun within 24 hours.
City's interim HR director enticed out of retirement with high salary
City Hall’s new interim director of human resources has been hired at a salary far above that paid to the most recent director or interim director, Mayor Levar M. Stoney confirmed.
GSK to add 150 jobs at city research center
Richmond is to gain 150 new jobs and an enlarged role as a hub of consumer product research and development for a joint venture of two pharmaceutical giants, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer.
Sen. Kaine speaks out to restore aid to HBCUs
A powerful Republican senator is holding up millions of dollars in federal aid to historically black colleges and universities in Virginia and elsewhere and to other minority-serving institutions.
Holiday gift assistance programs ready to give
Angel Tree, Silver Bell and other holiday gift assistance programs are now in full swing in the Richmond area.
'16 Bars' documentary from the Richmond Justice Center opens Nov. 14
It already has been seen in Charlottesville, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. Now, a 94-minute documentary is finally set to debut in Richmond about four current and former inmates and their personal stories told through music at the Richmond Justice Center with the help of Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist Todd “Speech” Thomas.
Will history be made with next speaker of the House?
Will the next speaker of the House of Delegates be the first woman or the first African-American to hold the post in Virginia history?
Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon L. Taylor handily wins re-election
In a suburban locale that now favors Democrats, Shannon L. Taylor easily won her bid for a third term as Henrico County commonwealth’s attorney.
Company believes it can attract more than 600,000 patrons to new Coliseum
John Page’s company, Spectra, is betting its management can turn Richmond’s proposed 17,500-seat Coliseum into one of the busiest and most successful entertainment centers in the world, if Richmond City Council approves allocating more than $300 million in taxpayer dollars over 30 years to build it.
Contentious state NAACP election gives Barnette 2-year term
Robert N. Barnette Jr., who has led the Virginia State Conference NAACP since August when the previous presi- dent was removed, will hold the top post in the civil rights organization for the next two years after emerging victorious in a controversial election.
4 school rezoning plans are up for final consideration
Four school rezoning plans — two of which include proposals for pairing some elementary schools and all of which keep Bellevue Elementary open — are now considered finalists.
McEachin, Jewett score big wins without opposition
Voters made it official that Colette W. McEachin will be Richmond’s first elected female commonwealth’s attorney. Voters also gave Edward F. Jewett a second eight-year term as clerk of Richmond Circuit Court.
Dems win control
For the first time in 24 years, Democrats will hold the majority in the state Senate and House of Delegates
For the first time in 24 years, Virginia voters handed Democrats control of both houses of the General Assembly in Tuesday’s election.
ACA health insurance enrollment deadline Dec. 15
More choices in health insurance that will cost less. That’s the good news for people who have until Sunday, Dec. 15, to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Stakes high for Tuesday’s General Assembly races
The future direction of Virginia will be on the line when voters in Richmond and across the state go to the polls next Tuesday, Nov. 5, to elect a new legislature.
City Council approves 1% pension hike for retirees starting Jan. 1
As anticipated, Richmond City Council unanimously approved a 1 percent pension increase for retired city employees, beginning Jan. 1, during a special meeting on Monday.
Henrico commonwealth’s attorney’s race hit with allegation of special treatment
The case of John J. Trak, who has been convicted of two felony drug possession charges and two other felonies since 2011, is roiling the election contest for Henrico County commonwealth’s attorney as the Nov. 5 election approaches.
Free rides to polls on Election Day
GRTC once again will provide free bus, Pulse and CARE van rides on Election Day within the city limits, it has been announced.
Battle over Dominion Energy’s sponsorship leads to demonstrations at state NAACP events
Instead of leading a protest, the Virginia State Conference NAACP will be the target of demonstrations at its state convention this weekend because of the organization’s ties to Dominion Energy.
Wilder says VCU panel cleared him in probe; VCU spokesman says that's 'premature'
L. Douglas Wilder has maintained for months that a former Virginia Commonwealth University student made up a story that he made sexual advances toward her and propositioned her to be his mistress nearly three years ago.
Navy Hill ship sinking?
Scrutiny of Coliseum replacement plan reveals major gaps
The grand plan Mayor Levar M. Stoney is pushing to replace the Richmond Coliseum with $1.5 billion in new Downtown development does not appear to include enough affordable housing to meet a City Council requirement.
Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon L. Taylor faces challenge by C. Owen Inge Conway
One of the standout local races is the contest for Henrico commonwealth’s attorney, where the winner is certain to be a woman.
City shelter didn't open in last week's cold
City Hall never opened its homeless shelter last week even as temperatures plunged below 40 degrees for the first time this fall.
Judge rules against Coliseum referendum
Any lingering hopes that a referendum to allow Richmond voters to weigh in on the Coliseum replacement project have been swept away by Judge Joi Jeter Taylor, chief judge of the Richmond Circuit Court.
Home testing encouraged to eliminate lead paint hazard
Richmond has eliminated the lead paint hazard from 32 homes so far using a $2.3 million federal grant and has 13 more residential units that will be worked on, data show.
Get out
Court-ordered RRHA evictions raising alarms in Creighton Court
The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority has quietly stopped leasing apartments in the Creighton Court public housing community in the East End that is earmarked for future redevelopment.
RPS halts tough absence policy
A new policy requiring Richmond students to be marked absent for the day if they arrive more than 80 minutes after the start of classes without a written excuse is being abandoned.
Social Security benefits to increase by 1.6% in 2020
Retirees in Richmond and across the country might have a little more money in their pockets come January.
City awarded $20,000 grant for new financial literacy program
A national group plans to assist Richmond City Treasurer Nichole Richardson Armstead and City Hall in creating a center to provide professional one-on-one financial counseling to low- and moderate-income city residents, it was announced Wednesday.
City Council approves use of Giles Center for winter overflow shelter
Homeless people once again will find shelter on bitter cold days at the Annie Giles Community Resource Center in Shockoe Valley, if they can get there.
Questions swirl about state NAACP's relationship with Dominion Energy
Is the Virginia State Conference NAACP starting to cozy up to Dominion Energy after more than two years of attacking the utility company’s push to construct a natural gas pipeline?
VCU Health System offers relief to certain patients with overdue bills
The VCU Health System, Virginia Commonwealth University’s medical arm, is taking steps to ease the financial stress on thousands of patients and their families struggling to pay their VCU hospital and doctors’ bills.
Banks' Coin Laundry in Jackson Ward closes
Banks’ Coin Laundry has closed after more than 80 years in Jackson Ward following the Sept. 19 death of the owner, Arlington R. Banks, 81.
Policy Pathways to host Fall Celebration and Fundraiser Oct. 24
Richmond Delegate Delores L. McQuinn and five students will be honored next week at the debut of a new nonprofit organized to enable young people of color to understand and become involved in shaping public policy.
